


Are You Single?

by womeninthesequel



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Muggle, Drunk Dialing, F/M, Fluff, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:08:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28080669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/womeninthesequel/pseuds/womeninthesequel
Summary: “Are you single?”“What?”Someone in the background yelled, but Lily shushed them. “Are you single?” Lily repeated, more determined this time.James closed his eyes and pressed his lips together before answering so he wouldn’t laugh. “No, Lily, I’m not single.”
Relationships: James Potter/Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 33
Kudos: 93





	Are You Single?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MagicGirlinAMuggleWorld](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagicGirlinAMuggleWorld/gifts).



> Inspired by a Discord conversation with friends and a prompt in my ask box.

“James?”

“Lily? Are you all right?”

“Hi!” A shuffle by the speaker told him she was moving. “I miss you!”

James had been halfway through an episode of _The Office_ when her name and picture came up on the screen of his phone. He didn’t need to glance at the clock to know her voice was too chipper for this time of night. Around midnight, Lily’s voice usually got a sleepy quality that meant she would fall asleep on his shoulder if he didn’t remind her to go to bed. 

He couldn’t remind her this time because she had gone out for a well-deserved night with her friends.

“I miss you too,” he said, shifting the phone to his other ear. “What’s going on?”

More shuffling came from the other end of the line. He heard a sharp, “Mary!” and another sound of protest from Lily before she came back onto the phone.

“Are you single?”

“What?”

Someone in the background yelled, but Lily shushed them. “Are you single?” Lily repeated, more determined this time.

James closed his eyes and pressed his lips together before answering so he wouldn’t laugh. “No, Lily, I’m not single.”

Of course, she knew that.

What he wasn’t expecting was the loud sniffle on her end of the line. When she spoke again, her voice was small. “Really?”

One of the other voices came again, closer to the phone but not close enough to be understandable. Footsteps told him that Lily moved away from them. 

“No!” he heard Lily say like she was trying to cover the phone with her hand. “I want to know!”

“We told you —” the other voice tried.

“Evans?”

“Do you love her?” she asked, her voice clear and into the phone’s speaker.

He couldn’t help the way the corner of his mouth ticked up at the question. “Yeah, Evans, I love her.”

The next sound was a pained intake of breath that knocked the air out of his lungs. He clutched the phone tighter and sat up, poised to jump from the couch if she needed him. “Lily,” he said again, “are you all right?”

“No,” Lily said with a hearty sniffle. In his mind, he could see her stubbornly swiping the back of her wrist across her face. “You’re dating someone and you love her!”

“You don’t know what you’re missing, Potter!” came the absolutely distinguishable call from Mary.

Everything came together at once. The late hour, Lily’s previously chipper late night voice, the attempts by her friend to take away the phone, and Mary’s outrage at the news of James’ love life.

Lily was drunk dialing him.

Regardless of the circumstances, James had been on the end of her temper enough to know that he couldn’t laugh. Even if he could perfectly picture Lily running away from her friends so she could find his contact in her phone and give him a call. Even if he could imagine the spots of color on her cheeks that came when she got upset or tipsy or a little of both. 

“Evans, are you drunk?”

“No,” she answered immediately, like the suggestion was offensive. 

“Okay,” James allowed, “but it sounds like…”

“You’re kissing a girl you like!” 

He couldn’t help himself.

“Not at the moment.”

That was the wrong thing to say, based on the shaky breath that James knew came before Lily cried. She always tried to stop her tears, using tricks like squeezing her eyes shut or pinching her palm, but she was notoriously bad at keeping them at bay. 

“Evans,” James said, not able to take all of the amusement from his voice, despite the current state of Lily’s emotions. “I’m dating you. I love _you.”_

“Really?”

This time, sunshine nearly beamed from her words. He wanted to jump through the phone to crush her against his chest in a hug and maybe recommend that she have a big glass of water before coming to bed. 

“Really,” James confirmed. 

“I love you,” she said. “I love you, I love you, I love you!” Her words started to slur as she repeated the phrase faster and faster, but they were a familiar and perfect melody to James. 

“I love you too, Evans. Now, be safe and come home so I can —”

“Lily!” 

A brief scuffle ensued with whoever said her name. While it got resolved, James let himself laugh until the phone shifted hands.

“Sorry about that,” Marlene said. “We’re waiting for our Uber, but I swear they don’t know how to — Don’t do that, Lily!”

“I’m not drunk!” she insisted. “Look, I’m walking in a straight line!”

“You have to go,” James said for Marlene, laughing. “I got it.”

“We should be at your place soon, Uber willing. Do you have some room for Mary to crash? I don’t think I have it in me to drag her home too.”

“I’ll take care of them.”

“Great.” Marlene moved away from the phone, probably holding it out, to yell. “Say goodbye to James, Lily!”

“Bye, James!”

God, he loved this girl.

“Bye, Evans. See you soon.”

“Gabriel’s picking us up in three minutes. I should make sure your girlfriend doesn’t try to show a cop her straight line walking.”

“I believe in you,” he said. “Bye, Marlene.” He moved the phone away from his ear but waited for Marlene to hang up rather than ending the call himself.

“That’s my man!” he heard Lily shout triumphantly with a smile as the call disconnected.

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @women-inthe-sequel!


End file.
